RS

FRONT PAGE CONTRIBUTOR

farcebook

Background:
The social networking site facebook has allied with GLAAD to fight anti-gay references on the facebook site. You will get no argument from me when someone tries to prevent juvenile harassment and bullying of gays (I agree with Andrew Wilcow that gay people should exercise their second amendment right more frequently when faced with physical bullying and intimidation).

The wonderful people at facebook have a “Statement of Rights and Responsibilities” for all facebook users. But, this is where it gets a little farcical. There are a variety of facebook groups that deal with the topic of Rush Limbaugh, and when I say “deal”, I mean things like “waiting for him to die”, hoping he “should die slowly”, etc. You get the picture.

Most people visiting sites on the internet want to immediately jump up and down and scream about their “First Amendment!” when a particular website sets rules on what can and can’t be said. What most people don’t understand though, is that someone’s personal website is essentially private property. Facebook can run their site however they see fit. They are not a government entity that must grant someone the right to say what they want to say.

For facebook to create a “Statment of Rights and Responsibilities” however, and lead their users to believe that they are enforcing it equally (when obviously they are not), they are showing their bias and should go ahead and add the “r” between the “fa” and the “cebook” in their logo since their “Statement” has been shown to be a farce.